BACKGROUND: The Agni Missile

The development of the Agni propels India into the exclusive club of countries with missiles that can carry nuclear warheads to distant targets. With a potential range of 1,500 miles, the Agni could deliver nuclear warheads as far away as Iran to the west, Hong Kong to the east, China to the north and islands around the Equator to the south. It also could hit any city in neighboring Pakistan, with which India has fought three wars. China went to war with India in 1962. India entered the missile age in February, 1989, with the launch of the short-range Prithvi. Also concerning U.S. officials is India’s expanding stock of plutonium. American nuclear proliferation specialist Leonard Spector has estimated that India has enough plutonium to build between 40 and 60 nuclear bombs. Indian scientists say they have not built any bombs, and that the plutonium will be used for nuclear power.